Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh.
He was never courageous.
He has guts, sure, but what teenage punkass didn't? He wasn't strong in the same way his friends were. He wasn't strong.
Even though some could consider him heroic, especially after what he had just done, the steel blood of a champion didn't run in his veins. He was too afraid. He felt too much, and he felt too small to contain it all. Heroes didn't get scared; he had never been more scared in his entire life
But, strangely, he didn't regret it… not one little bit. Because drowning here, with no other company than his own mind, was better than the alternative… spending the rest of his life knowing that he could have saved Yugi and didn't.
And thus, his entire life, built entirely upon the foundation of self-preservation and nothing, was about to end.
Somehow, he always knew it would end like this. Somehow, he knew that his final battle would consist of just him and the water, pulling him slowly, but surely, down. It was just like his father said…. He was worthless. He would die alone.
Somewhere above him, sunlight shimmered down through the dark curtain of water. But Jounouchi couldn't see it. He had his eyes closed.